


Just The Way You Are

by NukaWorldNora



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, First Date, Let's be real this is self indulgence, Literally no one would asked for this but here it is, THis was supposed to be longer but I'll just have to add more later, meet cute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:01:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27850482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NukaWorldNora/pseuds/NukaWorldNora
Summary: This is my piece for the Winter2020 Fallout Bang event! Ellie finds herself with a broken water heater while Nick is in Far Harbor with Nate. Not to worry, because Sturges is to the rescue.
Relationships: Ellie Perkins/Sturges, Preston Garvey/Male Sole Survivor
Comments: 14
Kudos: 15





	Just The Way You Are

**Author's Note:**

> A special thanks to chaosintheavenue for hosting the event! I hope to participate again in the future!

Ellie Perkins did not want to get out of the shower that morning. The warm water was incredibly soothing and she had a mountain of paperwork waiting on her desk. The paperwork had gotten to be a bit more than it used to be, back when it was just the two of them. Now, he had Nate as a partner, and more often than not, Nick was out on adventures. She generally approved of Nick’s friendship with the General of the Minutemen, even back before he was popular and important. She had met Nate when he was just a sad man who wanted to find his son and her heart melted a little for his plight. It had also been nice to see Nick get out of the city for a while. He liked to pretend the constant comments didn’t affect him, but Ellie could see the way his shoulders tightened and the way he would hide behind his sarcasm.

Eventually, the hot water turned cold and she sighed as she turned the tap off. She stood in the tub for just a moment longer and listened to the last bit of water drip out of the showerhead. Once she left, she would be cold and she wasn’t looking forward to it. A hissing noise brought her out of her thoughts. It was so quiet, she almost thought it was her own ears playing tricks on her, but without the patter of the shower, it was clear as day. She groaned and grabbed the least threadbare towel she had to wrap around herself. This was the last thing she needed today, but it was manageable. She had at least a day until Nick left for Far Harbor with Nate.

"Hey Nick, can you look at the water heater? It's making that noise again," she called as she left the bathroom. She only heard a mumble of reply, probably another joke about how _he_ didn't need hot water, but she knew he'd get to it. It wasn't as though she couldn't do any repairs around the house, but she knew when to get outside help, and she knew absolutely nothing about the water heater.

She got dressed and tried to make a mental list of the small amount of shopping she needed to do before she sat down to do paperwork.

"Need Grey Tortoises from Myrna?" Ellie asked as she came into the main office. Myrna was one of the people in Diamond City who refused to do business with Nick. She just pretended not to see him, and Ellie too, if she was with Nick.

"No, I have enough, I think," Nick said. "And I'm sure Nate will have more for me."

That got a laugh out of Ellie. "He spoils you too much," she teased. "I'll be back soon."

"Be safe," Nick said, mostly out of habit, but Ellie knew that he still meant it.

She sidestepped Moe and his attempt to convince her that she needed a swatter now that Nick took extended trips out with the General. She said a passing hello to Arturo on her way to the general store. Myrna eyed her like Ellie might be hiding Nick in her pocket or something, but let her pick through the selection of food. She'd go see Polly for fresh radstag, but Myrna's store was the only one in Diamond City that might even potentially have Fancy Lads. 

She was glad to see that there were not one or two, but three boxes of snack cakes. She grabbed the first two, but when she went to grab the third, her hand collided with someone else's. She looked up at the man attached to the hand and her mouth dried out. He was _cute_. She didn't recognize him, so he must be a trader in town for one of the swap meets. The last thing she needed was to form any kind of attachment to someone who would be gone in a day or two. Still, there was no reason to be rude. 

"You have the last box, " she offered. "I'm sure I'll survive with these two."

"It's no trouble, miss," he started. 

"Hey! Good to see that Nick lets you out of the office now and again," she heard. She was almost offended until she turned to see Nate Pendleton himself. 

"A girl's gotta have the essentials," she joked as she held up the Fancy Lads. She turned back to the new man. "Really, have them, sir. I'm fine with these."

"Oh, that's right. You two haven't met before," Nate said. He gestured to her for the man. "This is Ellie Perkins. She helps Nick with, well, just about everything but fieldwork. He'd be a mess without her."

"Yeah, maybe you should remind Nick so I can get a raise," she joked.

"And Ells, this is Sturges. He's my main mechanic for the Minutemen," Nate continued. "He'll be in Home Plate while Nick and I go north. I'll finally have hot water."

Ellie's stomach dropped out, snack cakes forgotten, as it dawned on her what he meant.

"You mean when you leave in a few days?" She tried, though she wasn't exactly hopeful for the answer. As expected, Nate shook his head and Ellie tried not to look too disappointed.

"We need to leave tonight. I already put a hold on plans up there," he said. "What's wrong?"

"Nick got the date wrong," she told him. She just had so much to do and apparently only an afternoon to do it. "I'll manage," she added. "I just thought there was time until he left."

"Sorry," Nate said. "This is kind of important for Nick to see for himself."

She could appreciate that he was a genuine man. He didn't exaggerate his wants and needs, which said something with the extraordinary circumstances of his life. Plus, she wasn't exactly a wilting flower on her own.

"Well you have today," Nate said with an apologetic look on his face. Then he brightened. "And I'm sure Sturges would be willing to help if you need it after Nick leaves." Ellie had forgotten about the attractive man, Sturges apparently, and she glanced at him. 

"I couldn't impose," she tried.

"I'd be happy to help, Miss Ellie,” he said. He smiled and she could feel her face flush.

“I- thank you,” she said. She knew she wouldn’t bother him unless she had to.

“Here, let me cover your groceries,” Nate said.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t-” she tried, but Nate didn’t even pause to listen. He handed a bag of caps to Myrna and said his goodbyes to her.

Ellie hurried back home and spent the rest of the morning and into the afternoon doing all the packing she planned to do over the next day or so. Nick wasn’t incapable with the domestics, but this was just how they prepared for cases. Nick did his research and planning while Ellie got together the things he might need for the field.

It meant running the wash at least once, with how filthy that trenchcoat of his had gotten. The water heater still made that noise, but otherwise seemed fine, so she put it from her mind. It would be fine.

It was not fine.

Ellie had said his goodbye to Nick and Nate, and the day or so after went smoothly. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t been alone in the office before, so she just went on with her work. One day, she got up to take her morning shower. She turned the knob to start the water and frowned at the terrible water pressure. She turned it to the hottest it would go and held her hand under the light stream. Even after two full minutes, the water was still ice cold. She turned off the water and listened.

There was nothing. Instead of the hissing that she would expect, there was just silence. She ran to the closet that held the heater and it was worse than she feared. A sizeable puddle had gathered under the equipment. She cursed and hurried to get some kind of clothing that wasn’t her bathrobe. She pulled on an old pair of jeans that threatened to fall apart at the seams and an old button-up of Nick’s, just because they were at hand. She had hoped to not have to deal with Abbott, but she had to get this fixed. She ran out the door and started to turn to head towards the wall, where one would normally find him, and she remembered that there _was_ another option, outside of Abbott.

She didn’t even stop to think too hard about the decision and turned towards the market place. Almost everything wasn’t open yet, but she wasn’t interested in any of the shops anyway. She went straight towards Home Plate. She didn’t hesitate for even a moment until she had knocked on the door and a stretch of silence followed. She realized she was nervous, though she didn’t have the energy to unpack that, and she didn’t often second guess herself, so she stayed the course.

“What can I help you with, Miss Ellie?:” he asked when he opened the door.

“My water heater is leaking,” she blurted out with the grace that her panic allowed. “I don’t know what to do-”

“I’ll take a look,” he said.

“I’m sorry to bother you, I just- Nick was supposed to take a look, but then Nate-”

“It’s not a problem at all. Let me just grab my tools,” he said. He disappeared into the house again, door open, and reappeared a moment later with a shiny red toolbox. She led him to the Agency and to the closet where the water heater was. The puddle didn’t really look much bigger, but it still put her on edge.

“Can you grab some towels? Maybe older ones you don’t care about as much?” he asked. “I still have to take a look, but the water has to be cleaned up.”

“Oh! Of course!” she said. She went back into the bathroom for her stack of towels. She picked out some of the older, less fluffy ones to bring back out. As she left the bathroom, she caught her appearance in the mirror and frowned. She forgot she was wearing little more than rags, so she left the towels, the closet was too small for her to be much help anyway, and she went to get dressed for real. She felt less panicked, after a deep breath and a little bit of time. She definitely had a clearer head when she returned to the closet to check up. He looked up as he heard her come back.

“So, good news,” Sturges told her. He had a tilted smile on his face and Ellie had to remind herself to focus “I can fix this.”

“Really? You could tell that fast?” She felt silly and stupid, though some of that might be the panic wearing off. If it were that easy, she could have looked for herself.

“I knew what to look for,” he admitted. “And don’t get me wrong, it could have been much worse, but it’s just the drain valve. I think I might have seen the part at the general store.”

It was as simple as he said. Myrna had some in stock, though Ellie had a suspicion that most of the water heaters in town were the same brand and needed the same kind of parts. It wasn’t worth her time to find out right that moment. She got the part back to Sturges and within a half-hour, he declared her water heater fixed.

“You’re an absolutely wonderful man,” she blurted out, and immediately flushed. The heat told her she was probably bright red. “I- I mean, thanks. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“I’m sure you’re capable, Miss Ellie, but I’m glad to have helped,” he said.

“Please, let me pay you for your time and effort,” she said.

“No, I couldn’t. I was just helping a friend.”

“But-”

“You’re Nate’s friend, which means you’re good people,” he said. “I couldn’t.”

“At least let me take you to lunch,” she insisted. “It’s not a stay in Diamond City unless you get a meal at Power Noodles.”

“I think it’d be rude to refuse,” he said. That same tilt to his smile came back and Ellie felt her mouth dry out again. Had she accidentally asked him out on a date? This was someone that Nate clearly trusted a great, so she wasn’t exactly worried, but she would have liked for it to have been on purpose.

“So what’s it like, being in the Minutemen?” she asked as they left the Agency. This time, she was more careful and made sure the door was locked properly.

“Not too bad,” he said. “There’s always work to do.” Ellie snorted a short laugh. It wasn’t really funny, but she thought the exact same thing about working at the Agency. “Nate’s a good man, good for Preston.”

“That’s his boyfriend, right? I’ve met him a couple of times when they’ve come through Diamond City for supplies for Hangman’s Alley,” she said.

“Yeah, Preston is my best friend,” he told her. “He’s the reason I’m here. Nate wanted to pay me, but I told him to pay me back by making Preston relax for a while.”

“Something tells me he doesn’t, ever,” she said, thinking about Nick. “Even when he’s ‘relaxing’, he’s still thinking about work.”

“Bingo,” he said with a smile. They took a seat at the counter.

"Nan-ni shimasu-ka?" Sturges turned to the robot, a confused look over his face.

“He only understands yes,” she said. “Yes, two.”

After just a moment, Takahashi had two bowls of noodles in front of them with two pairs of chopsticks. Sturges struggled for a moment and she tried not to laugh as she helped him learn. He laughed too, and eventually, Ellie just found them a couple of forks.

“We should have just started with this,” she said, a giggle still in her voice. “But at least the noodles are good.”

“So tell me about you, Miss Ellie,” he asked.

“I’m from Goodneighbor originally,” she said. “My sister still lives out there. I didn’t want to stick around, so I tried Bunker Hill, but that wasn’t really better for me. If Nick hadn’t hired me when I passed through Diamond City, I probably would have left the Commonwealth overall. The Capital Wastes sounded nice since they cleaned up the water.”

“Well, I’m glad you stayed.”

Ellie felt her face heat up again and she took a quick bite of her food to cover her nerves. She took a moment to swallow and stop herself from sounding pathetic.

“What about you? How did you become the main mechanic to the Minutemen?”

“I had a shop set up in Quincy-”

“Oh, no, forget I asked. I’m sure that’s sensitive,” she offered, and he gave her a sad smile.

“It wasn’t all bad,” he said. “It’s where I met Preston, and it led us to Sanctuary. As bad as it was, it’s how we met Nate.”

“Still, I’m sorry-”

“Don’t be,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Now, tell me what it’s like working at a detective agency.”

She knew he was just trying to change the subject, and she was happy to let him. She told him the story of how she met Nate. Topics changed and they got more noodles, and Ellie didn’t even notice much time had passed until she looked up and realized it had gotten dark.

“I should probably be getting home,” she said. She didn’t really want to leave, not with how much she enjoyed his company, but everything had to end eventually.

“This was fun,” he said. “Though maybe some time, you could come out to Sanctuary, and see the sights there.”

“Maybe sometime,” she teased, though she would probably talk to Nick about arranging a trip out there. Nate would probably agree.

“Let me walk you home.”

“It’s not far, really,” she tried to insist, but he wouldn’t hear it. When they got up, he took her hand, threading his fingers through hers. They were quiet as they walked through the dimly lit alley that led to the Agency. She stopped at the door and hesitated. She knew she should reach for her keys, but she wasn’t ready to let go just yet.

“I had a really good time,” she said, her voice quieter than she intended.

“I did too, Miss Ellie.”

She looked up into his eyes and licked her dry lips.

“You don’t need to be so formal. You could just call me Ellie,” she told him. He gave her that tilted smile and she had to pull her eyes away from his lips.

“I like seeing your dimples when I say it,” he told her.

She wasn’t sure if he leaned down, or she leaned up, or if it was a mixture of the two, but they were kissing. His hands went to her hips and hers found their way to his chest, her fingers wrapped around the straps of his mechanic coveralls. It felt too soon, that they parted, and Ellie found herself looking into his eyes again.

“I think I might talk to Nick about visiting Sanctuary,” she said.

“I’d like that a lot.”

She pulled him closer, back to kiss him again, brief but wonderful. Eventually, though, she had to let go and make herself take a step back.

“Good night, Sturges.”

“Good night, Miss Ellie.”


End file.
